Larkle Oneshots
by benjji2795
Summary: A collection of Larkle oneshot fics
1. Your Nothing, My Everything

_**Summary: Farkle is shutting Lucas out, and Lucas doesn't know what do to.**_

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 _ **A/N: So I wrote this instead of writing the next update to "Starstruck" lmao...I was having severe Larkle feels (blame LadyofDecember on tumblr for that) and I just needed to write something for them. Anyway, I hope this turned out well...it was challenging to write, but I really enjoyed it. Please leave your thoughts on the story/character's voices :)**_

* * *

Lucas faintly remembered being warned that junior year of high school was a bitch. But frankly, he was feeling far too overwhelmed at the moment to really care whether he was warned or not; all he knew was that it was one hundred percent true. ACTs. SATs. 2 AP classes. Lucas could've sworn that he was on the edge of having a mental breakdown every single day.

Today was no different—well, it was different, but not because he wasn't on the verge of a breakdown. Lucas was still hanging by his fingertips, but Farkle—his boyfriend and the person who turned out to be his only source of sanity—was acting quite strangely. Lucas couldn't remember Farkle ever acting like he had all day, at least not since before they started dating at the end of eighth grade.

They were sitting in Lucas' bedroom, doing their homework like they usually did. When they walked into the room, Lucas had flopped down on the bed, automatically scooting over to make room for Farkle to sit next to him, but for some mystifying reason, Farkle had chosen to sit at Lucas' oft-ignored (and therefore quite messy) desk instead. And that wasn't all; Farkle—wouldn't-ever-shut-up Farkle—wasn't giving him more than one word answers to his questions, ignoring all of Lucas' attempts at conversation.

Lucas gazed at the other boy, his six foot, two inch frame hunched over the desk, lips stretched taut across his face, eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Lucas had seen that look on Farkle's face many times—it was exactly the same—and yet it wasn't. Lucas didn't have a clue to what was going on in Farkle's head, but he knew Farkle wasn't himself, and he needed to find out why.

"Farkle, what's going on?" Lucas finally asked, trying his hardest to bust through the wall Farkle thrown up between them.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Farkle quipped, not once moving his eyes from the paper in front of him.

"Bullshit," Lucas said, carelessly tossing his textbook aside and walking over to Farkle's side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Farkle replied blankly, thrown off balance by Lucas' callout. Lucas smiled softly at the boy, grabbing his hand and pulling him on his feet and to the bed.

"C'mere," Lucas mumbled, holding his arms out for Farkle. Farkle hesitated and then stiffly sat down and let himself be reeled into the embrace. Lucas pulled Farkle into his side tightly, frowning when Farkle didn't curl up around and into him the way he usually did.

"You've been acting weird and closed off ever since this morning," Lucas sighed, gently nudging his head up against Farkle's. "Please just talk to me. I'm worried about you."

"I'll be okay Lucas, I'm just uhhh—stressed out about a class. I'm um—um struggling," Farkle answered, speaking a little too quickly for Lucas' liking, despite his hesitations. In fact, Lucas wasn't buying a single word Farkle had just said. Lucas briefly considered pursuing the matter further, but Farkle's resolute façade showed no signs of cracking, and Lucas knew he couldn't force anything out of Farkle, regardless of whether he wanted to.

"Okay," Lucas said resignedly, giving Farkle a quick peck on the cheek before releasing him. Farkle didn't hesitate to scurry back to the desk, immediately re-immersing himself in his homework. Lucas leaned his head against the headboard, exhaling loudly, frustrated that Farkle's wall stood just as tall as before. Farkle was clearly hiding something. He wondered why Farkle was refusing to open up to him. Had he done something to break Farkle's trust that he didn't realize or remember? Was Farkle mad at him for some reason? There was only one way to answer those questions without dragging the response out of Farkle himself.

So as soon as Farkle went home for the evening, Lucas sprinted out the door to his house, running to speak to the only two people who he thought knew Farkle better than him.

* * *

"So Lucas, what brings you to our bay window tonight?" Riley declared with joking bravado.

"Have I done something to make Farkle mad at me?" Lucas blurted out.

"Why wouldn't you just ask him that yourself?"

"Yeah Huckleberry, you know Farkle better than we do," Maya added. She and Riley didn't see much of Farkle anymore as he chose to spend most of his time with Lucas.

"He's not exactly talking to me," Lucas explained, biting his bottom lip anxiously. "Well, he's talking to me, but he's not saying anything. I thought he might have come to you two."

"He didn't," Riley responded.

"He stopped coming to us once you started dating," Maya elaborated. "And besides, are you kidding me? Farkle couldn't be angry with you if he tried!" Maya exclaimed, practically howling with laughter.

"Yeah, he practically melts into a puddle of goo every time you smile at him," Riley chimed in.

"I'm not so sure," Lucas mumbled. "I mean, why else would someone just start shutting you out? He's never shut me out like this before! What if something is really wrong? Why wouldn't he just tell me?" he continued, getting more worked up as he stood and began pacing around the room.

"Relax Huckleberry," Maya chuckled. "I'm sure it's fine. You're probably just overthinking this."

"Do you want us to see if we can find out anything? We might be able—" Riley asked when Lucas didn't appear to be calming down the slightest bit.

"Riles—" Maya protested.

"No, its fine," Lucas brushed Riley's offer off, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. He didn't want Riley and Maya to actually intervene; he just thought they might know something he didn't. "I'll just talk to him tomorrow. Maybe—maybe you're right. Maybe it's nothing and he just had a bad day," he remarked, even though he didn't believe what he was saying one bit.

"The offer still stands if you need us," Riley smiled, quickly giving Lucas a hug before he climbed out the window and headed back home.

* * *

Lucas hadn't slept well at all last night. His brain wouldn't stop buzzing with worry over Farkle, thoughts racing recklessly across his neurons at thousands of miles per hour. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong. The fact that Farkle was purposely keeping him in the dark unnerved him, and he felt powerless to do anything at all. It was a feeling he hated with every fiber of his being.

Right now, Lucas was leaning up against Farkle's locker waiting for him, wearing jeans and a dark hoodie (since it was chilly and Farkle had his letterman jacket and refused to give it back; not that Lucas was fighting all that hard to get it back, given that Farkle looked adorable in the size-too-big jacket). Lucas stared at the clock, trying to decide if he was seeing the time right: 7:20. Farkle was always here by now, except there was no sign of him. Lucas sighed, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

" _The subway is just running late_ ," Lucas silently reasoned, even though he knew that wouldn't have slowed Farkle down. He would've gotten a cab, or even ran to school if necessary. Farkle loved school and he'd do anything not to be late.

The five-minute warning bell rang, and Lucas scanned the hall one last time, reluctantly shoved off from the lockers and walked to his first class. Something had to be very wrong if Farkle wasn't showing up for school. From his experience, Farkle could be an inch from death, and he would be crawling into the school. It wouldn't matter if the school nurse turned him away, he'd still at least show up.

Lucas' heart was pounding as he pulled out his phone. There wasn't a message from Farkle explaining why he wasn't there, and Lucas wasn't simply worried anymore; the emotion was something more akin to full-on panic. He couldn't help that it colored the messages he sent Farkle just before class started.

 _Why aren't you at school?_

 _You never miss school. Is something wrong?_

Lucas had to put his phone in his backpack because class had started, but he couldn't pay attention. He kept staring at the bag, hoping that he could sense his phone vibrating. He just needed to know that Farkle was okay, that there was some kind of emergency maybe, and wasn't missing school for some other far more terrifying reason.

First hour ended, and Lucas was fishing around in his backpack for his phone before he even stood up, feeling his heart nearly stop and sink to the floor when he didn't see a reply. Lucas briefly considered cutting class and going over to Farkle's house, but instead he decided to try his luck with texting again. His dad wouldn't care why he skipped; he would still get grounded anyway and Lucas preferred to avoid that outcome.

 _Farkle_

 _Please answer_

 _You're freaking me out_

Lucas kept walking to his next class, eyes glued to his phone screen, waiting for the message bubbles to pop up, telling him that Farkle was typing a response. He wasn't looking where he was going and ended up running head-on into one of the football players.

"Sorry," Lucas muttered, walking on, ignoring the snickers that came from the other players accompanying the other boy. If he had been listening any closer, he would've realized that they were whispering about Farkle, but his mind was too busy to notice that, because a response from Farkle was not forthcoming before second hour started. In fact, there was no answer from Farkle all day, despite the repeated messages Lucas kept sending. After school was over, Lucas bolted, trying to get to Farkle's house as fast as he could. He knocked on the front door rapidly, not even bothering to say hi to Farkle's mom, pushing past her when she swung the door open.

"You couldn't answer any of my texts?" Lucas barked as he burst through the door to Farkle's bedroom, finding the boy sitting on his bed with a book.

"Wha—what are you d-doing here Lucas?" Farkle stuttered, avoiding Lucas' intense gaze.

"I haven't heard from you all day, why do you think I'm here?" Lucas snapped. He was angry: angry that Farkle ignored him, angry that Farkle wasn't telling him what was wrong.

"Iwasn'tfeelingwellthat'sallI'mreallyokaynoneedtoworryaboutme," Farkle spit out, chuckling nervously at the end. Now he was lying too?

"You seem perfectly fine! You've showed up to school before when you were 'sicker' than this!" Lucas argued.

"Okay fine, so I'm not sick. I just didn't want to go to school," Farkle shrugged.

"What?" Lucas said, struggling to wrap his head around the sentence he'd just heard come from Farkle's mouth.

"I said I didn't want to go to school."

"Farkle, you have to tell me what's going on. This—this isn't okay. You're scaring me," Lucas pleaded, his voice softening as he sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed Farkle's hand.

"I can't tell you. There—there's nothing you can do. Please just let it go."

"Farkle—"

"Lucas, please."

"Okay, I will, but only if you come to school tomorrow."

"Okay."

"And if you ever want to talk—"

"Lucas."

"Sorry," Lucas murmured. "It's just…I love you, and I want to be there for you."

"I know you do. But I love you too, and that's why I can't tell you what's going on."

Lucas didn't know what to say to that, so rather than say anything at all, he leaned over and kissed Farkle, feeling relieved when, in contrast to the day before, the boy relaxed at his touch and melted into the kiss, the two of them letting the world and worry fade into the background, if only for a moment.

* * *

Lucas walked into school early the next day, anxious to return to some sense of normalcy after the craziness of the last few days. He was surprised to see a crowd of football players (the very same ones that he ran into the day before) gathered in the hallway. On any other day, Lucas would've walked past them without another thought, but he was on high alert after everything that had been going on with Farkle the last few days.

Despite Farkle's pleas to leave it alone, Lucas had to find out what Farkle was hiding. It certainly had crossed his mind a few times last night that he might be getting bullied again, which would also explain why Farkle wanted to keep it from him. Lucas knew, from what he had seen, that football players were notorious for picking on other kids (even in high school), and one of them (for whatever reason) might have decided to make Farkle a target. So Lucas quickly glanced inside the center of the circle they had formed, doing a double take when he realized that it was actually Farkle in center.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Lucas bellowed angrily, pushing his way into the circle. He pulled Farkle into his body, shielding him as best he could. Lucas noticed all of the boys surrounding them took a small step back, save for one, who Lucas assumed to be the ringleader.

"Just doing you a favor," that particular boy said innocently.

"And what makes you think that?" Lucas spat, as the other players gradually shuffled further away, leaving the leader mostly on his own (with only two other players still flanking him).

"I was getting this nerd off your back. You should be thanking me."

"Take it easy on him Lucas, he's new," one of the two players left said feebly as Lucas let go of Farkle, stalking over to the other football player and walking him into the lockers with relative ease.

"For your information, this 'nerd' is my boyfriend and has been since 8th grade. So I don't want him 'off my back' and if you know what's good for you, you won't even look in his direction again," Lucas snarled, grabbing a handful of his shirt and roughly slamming his back against the lockers. The other boy's cool confidence had faded, his face going pale as he found himself pinned up against the cold metal.

"Lucas don't," Farkle said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Farkle—"

"This is why I didn't tell you," Farkle sighed, trying to pull Lucas away. "I know you want to protect me, but I don't want you to get expelled again."

Lucas took a deep breath and looked into Farkle's piercing blue eyes, feeling his anger dissipate as he did. Lucas unclenched his fist, releasing the boy and letting him scamper away.

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"I already told you—"

"I'm not like that anymore, you know that. You know I would've just threatened him and wasn't going to hurt him."

"But—"

"Why?"

"He—he said that someone like me didn't deserve to even know you and—and I thought maybe he was right," Farkle whispered so that Lucas could barely hear him.

"Farkle," Lucas murmured, drawing Farkle tightly into his arms. "Farkle, he's not right and he won't ever be right."

"You really mean that?" Farkle asked, burrowing his head into the crook of Lucas' neck.

"Of course I do. I love you and being 'deserving' has nothing to do with that. Just—just promise me something."

"Yeah?"

"Please don't shut me out like that again. I hate not knowing what's going on with you or being able to help you, especially when I find out that someone is bullying you."

"I'm sorry," Farkle sighed, gripping Lucas just a little bit tighter.

"So you promise?"

"Yeah I promise."

"Hey Lucas?" Farkle added after a long pause.

"Yeah?"

"You're really cute when you get protective of me."

Lucas buried his face in Farkle's hair, blushing a dark shade of red, just like he always did when Farkle said he was cute.

"Thanks. I love you Lucas."


	2. A New Year to Remember

_**Summary:** **Something happens between Lucas and Farkle on New Year's Eve**_

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 _ **A/N: I had a small spark of inspiration just before I went to sleep last night, and so here's the resulting fic...it's short, but I think it's very cute :)**_

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Farkle had learned a lot about himself ever since the yearbook came out. He knew he would when he began his journey to find who Farkle really was. Some things of the things he learned he already knew on some instinctual level. But some things came as a complete surprise to him, like the biggest realization he came to (one that ended involving one "freak-face" cowboy).

It had hit him a month ago, and now it was New Year's Eve. He was in the Matthew's living room, sandwiched on the couch between Lucas on his left and Riley on his right. Maya was practically sitting on Riley's lap, and Zay had sprawled out on an armchair. Ten minutes to the ball drop, and they had spent the last five minutes going around the room, telling each other their New Year's resolutions.

Farkle didn't know whether he wanted to share his real resolution. He knew that if he did, it would raise questions, open a Pandora's box that he couldn't close, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that. But Farkle didn't know if he'd ever _truly_ be ready to share this with his friends anyway, and it had been killing him to keep this from his friends, so Farkle knew that he really should just tell them and deal with the all the questions his friends would have about his resolution.

"What about you Farkle?"

Lucas' voice pulled Farkle from his conflicting, back-and-forth thoughts. With all eyes on him (or so it seemed), Farkle felt his throat dry up and his heart thud up against his ribcage. Farkle kept silent for far too long, still mulling over his options. Maya impatiently cleared her throat.

"Myresolutionistofindthecouragetobemyself," Farkle said quickly in response. If all eyes weren't on him before, they were now. Zay, who was largely uninterested in the whole affair of resolutions and hadn't hesitated to vocalize that when they began, had even sat up to study him intently. With the attention of everyone in the room on him, Farkle was finding his nerves were making it hard to breathe.

"Why does that make you nervous?" Riley asked him softly.

"Yeah, what makes you think we wouldn't want you to be yourself?" Lucas added gently.

Farkle knew the answer to that question. He knew what could go wrong. He knew what they might say. But still, the words sat on the tip of his tongue, threatening to bust out of his mouth. God, how he wanted them to. He wanted to finally tell someone, to stop holding this inside of him, but he felt as if his throat was blocked. He could open his mouth, but nothing would come out, the air sitting unused in his lungs.

"Farkle, what's the matter?" Lucas questioned, putting a hand on his shoulder, stilling his body (Farkle hadn't even realized he was shaking).

Lucas' concern made Farkle feel like he was going to burst. He didn't want to hide from his best friend. He just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'mbisexual!" Farkle blurted out, immediately burying his face in his hands so that he didn't have to watch his friends' faces and see how they reacted.

"Good for you man," Zay remarked, his tone making it clear he was annoyed that he had been interrupted by something he found inconsequential.

"I'm proud of you," Riley said happily, embracing Farkle tightly. Maya didn't say anything, but Farkle figured that if Riley didn't mind, Maya wouldn't mind either.

"Hey look, it's almost midnight!" Riley cheered, drawing everyone's attention to the TV, where the ball had begun to drop.

Everyone had said something to him. But Lucas had been shockingly silent. Of the people in the room, Farkle cared the most about what Lucas had to say, and his silence was unnerving.

Farkle was about to look up, see the expression on Lucas' face, when he felt a familiar strong arm wrap around his shoulders.

"Wanna know something Farkle?" Lucas finally asked. Farkle nodded, keeping his face planted firmly in his palms.

"I am too," Lucas continued. Farkle's head snapped up, looking at Lucas with a confused expression. What the hell did that mean? Lucas didn't say anything further, just giving him a smirk in return.

" _5…4…3…2…1_ ," Riley, Maya and Zay counted down in the background, but Farkle didn't notice that. Instead he was trying to figure out why Lucas' face seemed to be getting closer to his. He was tired and up past his bedtime and Farkle wondered if maybe he was starting to hallucinate. Their friends began to hoot and holler as the clock hit midnight, but all Farkle could focus on was the fact that Lucas had pressed their lips together. That, and that he suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe.

"I—you—but—huh?" Farkle stammered. He must have been hallucinating. That felt real, but it couldn't have been real. Lucas wasn't—

"I'm bisexual too. In fact, you were actually the one who gave me my identity crisis," Lucas shrugged and smiled.

Farkle didn't know what to say (mostly because Lucas had rendered him incapable of thought and speech), so instead he decided to throw his arms around Lucas and bury his head in the boy's chest to hide his flushing cheeks, thinking one thing.

No other New Year's kiss could ever top this one.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Perfectly Put Together and (Im)perfectly Brought Together**_

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 _ **Summary: When Farkle off-handedly flirts with Lucas, it sparks something that could change their friendship for good**_

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 _ **A/N:** **So I wrote more Larkle bc feels...takes place during/after the events of Girl Meets Belief...also this is super angsty, so prepare yourselves :)**_

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" _You have a better life because of…look at ya! Your freak face is just a collection of cells and bone structure that was randomly and somehow perfectly put together! That if there was a force that did that for you, I'll tell you right now: he hates me!"_

Lucas wasn't sure how he managed to keep the blush off his cheeks until Farkle walked away. Lucas hated (loved) it when Farkle tossed him compliments like that. It didn't matter that Farkle probably never meant it the way Lucas was always going to hope he did; it still made his breath catch, his heart do backflips and his stomach twist.

"You gonna stop looking at Farkle like a lovesick puppy so we can work on this?"

Riley's voice suddenly assaulting his eardrums nearly caused Lucas to topple off his stool.

"What?" Lucas chuckled, wringing his hands nervously. "I d-don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't have to hide it," Riley shrugged, rolling her eyes. "I know you like Farkle."

Lucas' elbow slid out from underneath him, causing him to lose his balance and nearly face-plant on the countertop.

"W-who told you that?" Lucas whispered harshly.

"No one," Riley replied. "Anyone with eyes can see it."

Lucas paused, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

"So are you saying he already knows?"

"No, he doesn't notice, mostly because he's too busy giving you heart-eyes back," Riley grinned.

"Hey, that's not funny!" Lucas exclaimed, reaching over to playfully slap Riley's arm.

"Who said I was joking?" Riley winked, stopping him in his tracks. As Lucas slumped back into the stool, he swore he was starting to feel lightheaded, and he leant over to grip the edge of the counter for support. He opened his mouth to question Riley further, but she was no longer looking at him, focused on reading the open book Farkle had left sitting there. He looked back at the other boy, sitting on the couch next to Maya, feet propped up on the coffee table, and shook his head, forcing Riley's words to the back of his mind. As long as Farkle didn't know, Lucas was okay.

He tried to focus on Joan of Arc, he really did, but instead of focusing on the words on the page in front of him, Lucas found himself glancing over his shoulder every fifteen seconds to look at Farkle, Riley's words continuing to echo in his brain. Riley chose to ignore him, working on the report without his help, only sparing a snigger every couple of times he peered over at Farkle.

When they finished, Lucas quickly tossed his things in his bag, turning around to join up with Farkle to walk home, but to his dismay, he found Farkle was already halfway out the door.

"Farkle?" Lucas called, but the door had already swung shut and the boy didn't hear him. Lucas let out a heavy sigh, tossed his bag over his shoulder and trudged home by himself, wondering why Farkle had taken off so rapidly and why he had left him to walk home alone (the jerk).

* * *

Farkle stumbled inside his house, slamming the front door and leaning heavily up against it as he let out a breath he swore he'd been holding ever since those words had started tumbling out of his mouth.

" _You have a better life because of…look at ya! Your freak face is just a collection of cells and bone structure that was randomly and somehow perfectly put together! That if there was a force that did that for you, I'll tell you right now: he hates me!"_

Farkle groaned as the words replayed in his head. He had to stop saying things like that to Lucas, because there was no way he could to get away with it over and over again like he had been so far. If what he was thinking kept slipping out without his brain's permission, hopping right over his mental filter, eventually Lucas would realize that it wasn't jealousy talking.

 _Lucas._

He slid down to the floor, propping his back on the door as he pulled his knees into his chest, silently cursing himself. Why did he have to be crushing on his best friend? His best friend—who liked Riley—or Maya. It didn't matter to Farkle which of the girls Lucas liked, because it already meant he didn't feel anything for him. Why would—why _should_ he when he had two very beautiful girls both chasing after his affections? Two girls that were both so beautiful in their own ways that it didn't matter who Lucas picked, he wasn't going to lose. It was plain, simple, and painful: Lucas was never going to pick him over Riley or Maya.

Farkle willed himself to hold the tears back as his heart clenched at the reality of the whole situation. "I always get my hopes up and then something happens to hurt my little Farkle-heart," he had once said. He didn't remember who (or what) he'd been talking about then, but whatever heartbreak that was had to have been insignificant when compared to the pain he felt right now. Lucas, the boy he'd unknowingly given his whole heart to, was crushing it without even realizing it.

A choked sob escaped from his lips before he could stop it. Farkle clapped his hands over his mouth. His mom was supposed to be in the house somewhere, and the last thing he needed was someone trying to comfort him. He hated people seeing him vulnerable, and besides, nothing anyone could say would make him feel better right now—or maybe ever. Clumsily rising to his feet, Farkle sprinted for the safety of his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. He dove into his bed, curling up into a ball and roughly shoving his face into a pillow, letting the tears and sobs come freely.

* * *

Lucas lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about just how screwed he was. How did he even end up with a crush on Farkle? Lucas remembered when he first met the boy, Lucas found him brash, loud, over-confident and grating. If Farkle hadn't already been friends with Riley and Maya, Lucas would've avoided associating him at all costs.

But as he spent more time with him, Lucas learned his bravado was merely a façade, covering up a person who, at his core, was deeply insecure. Especially when Farkle was with him, away from the girls, Farkle showed him parts of himself that Lucas wouldn't have thought were there from the face he showed the rest of the world. Like the reason Farkle hated relying on other people was that he had been on his own a lot, since his parents had constantly left him alone once he was old enough to take care of himself. Or that Farkle hated yelling because whenever his parents were home, that's all they did: scream at each other. Or that Farkle had never had any real friends. Or that the things other people said about him actually hurt him, even though Farkle had always said they didn't.

He learned the last one when Billy had called Farkle the "biggest nothing in the whole school" and Farkle had hidden away in Janitor Harley's closet, stopped wearing his turtlenecks, and started avoiding him and Riley and Maya. In fact, still remembered the intensity of rage, unlike anything he'd ever felt before, when he found out that someone had the nerve to say that to Farkle. If it hadn't been for Maya, he probably would've gotten expelled again. He had just been itching to bring his fist to Billy's face as he held him up against the wall, itching to make him hurt the way his words had hurt Farkle.

That had been the first moment Lucas had realized there was something different about the way he looked at Farkle, about how his feelings seemed to be on a different level of intensity. Then the yearbook came out, and Farkle wanted to stop being Farkle, calling himself "Donnie Barnes." Lucas had been so upset, unable to hide his desperation as he tried to make Farkle see how he couldn't just _change_ who he was. How Lucas wanted—no, _needed_ him to be Farkle. Thank God he had gotten through to him (and Riley, but he had been more concerned about Farkle). When they had been sitting outside Topanga's, talking about it all, and when Farkle told him he was trying to find himself, the reality of his own crush had hit Lucas like a tidal wave.

Lucas didn't know what to do then, and he still didn't know what to do now. This wasn't like flirting with Riley and Maya. That was easy because he didn't feel anything, but anytime he was even _near_ Farkle, Lucas got so nervous he could barely think.

"Ugh, why does this have to be so hard?" Lucas groaned, rolling over on his side to see his mom standing in his bedroom doorway.

"Riley and Maya again?" she asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"No, it's um—Mom?" Lucas said, taking a deep breath. It was about time that he came clean to the person who he trusted the most. He desperately needed her advice right now. "There's—there's something important I need to tell you."

"What's that honey?" she replied softly, walking over to sit on the edge of his bed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"It's not Riley or Maya. It's not—it hasn't been about them for a while," Lucas mumbled, biting his bottom lip. "There's someone else that I like—a lot more than I ever liked Riley or Maya."

"Who?"

"F-Farkle," he answered, staring at his lap.

"Okay, I see. So what's the problem?" she questioned.

"Wait, so you don't care?" Lucas blurted out incredulously.

"Care about what?"

"That I like another boy."

"No," she shrugged, smiling at Lucas. "You're my son and I love you no matter what. Besides, I've had my suspicions since you were a little boy. So—Farkle, huh?"

"Yeah," Lucas replied, letting his face break into a shy smile that held for a few seconds before fading. "I didn't think he liked me back, but then Riley said…and I just don't know."

"What did Riley say?" his mom pressed, an unreadable expression on her face. It made Lucas wonder what she was thinking.

"She—she said that he's always giving me heart-eyes," Lucas stammered.

"That's true," she nodded knowingly.

"What? How did—how do you know?"

"I see it every time he's over here. He has all the classic characteristics of a lovesick puppy."

"But what if—well he's always been really jealous of me, so what if—" Lucas said, trying to rationalize away what his mom had said. He wasn't sure if he _could_ believe it.

"Oh honey," she chuckled, placing a hand on his knee. "Trust me on this: he's not jealous of you."

"You really think he likes me back?" Lucas inquired hopefully, perking up.

"Absolutely. So let me ask you: what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure. It's not like with Riley where I can just ask him out."

"And what makes you say that?" his mom asked pointedly. Lucas knew exactly what she meant, and that was definitely a big part of his hesitations.

"Well because—"

"Is it just because he's a boy?"

"I—maybe a little," Lucas sighed. "But it's because I'm too nervous to."

"Don't let the fact that he's a boy stop you. And you know, you're always going to be nervous to ask out someone you like," she shrugged, patting his knee as she stood up. "You might as well just do it."

"Yeah, okay."

Part of him wanted to wait until school the next day, so he's have more time to screw up his courage, but another, bigger part of him wanted to just get up and go over to Farkle's right now. Lucas jumped up, ready to run out of his room to go over there, when he realized he didn't even know where Farkle lived. They always hung out at Topanga's or at his house. Lucas groaned and flopped back down on his bed, deciding he might as well just wait until the next day; he would surprise Farkle by going in early, be there first, and then do it right away when Farkle got to school. Lucas quickly sent Farkle a text (it not occurring to him that he could ask Farkle for his address) before heading out to the kitchen to bug his mom until dinner was ready:

 _Hey, come find me tomorrow when you get to school_

* * *

Eventually, Farkle ran out of tears to cry, and he unsteadily rose from bed, padding into the bathroom, startled when he took in his puffy, bloodshot eyes and splotchy cheeks. No matter how much he liked him, Farkle knew Lucas wasn't worth this. He'd never cried over Lucas before, but some instinct told him that this wasn't going to be the last time. He had to get over him.

Farkle shuffled out into the kitchen, bracing himself for the questions he knew his mom would ask him when she saw that he had been crying. When he entered the room though, all he found was a note on the table, apparently scribbled in haste.

 _Had to leave for work. You'll be on your own until Friday._

 _Love, Mom_

Farkle exhaled, thankful for the privacy he would be afforded over the next few days. He'd made up his mind: he needed to distance himself from his best friend. It was probably going to be more painful than Farkle could even guess at, and not having to worry about someone looking over his shoulder as he dealt with his emotions regarding the whole ordeal was going to be a huge relief.

Now knowing that, Farkle grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet and retreated to his room. He shoved a couple handfuls in his mouth before setting the box down and diving underneath his covers. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Farkle shut it off and tossed it on his bedside table, laying his head on his still damp pillow, closing his eyes and fighting off the tears that were welling up in his eyes again until he fell asleep.

* * *

Lucas was at school earlier than he could ever remember being there before, either here or back in Texas. He let out a yawn, resting his head against the cool metal of Farkle's locker. Even though he had asked Farkle to find him, Lucas figured he shouldn't take any chances and make it easy for Farkle to seek him out. He closed his eyes, shielding them from the harsh fluorescent lights as he waited to hear that familiar voice.

"Whatcha doing?"

Lucas peeked out from under his closed eyelids, frowning when he saw it was only Riley.

"Waiting for Farkle," Lucas shrugged, clenching his eyes shut again.

"Are you going to ask him out?" Riley questioned, nudging his shoulder gently. Lucas sighed, and then nodded in reply, covering his ears as Riley shrieked.

"MAYA!"

"What is it?" Maya asked as Lucas groaned.

"He's finally going to do it!" Riley giggled, jumping up and down.

"You've finally admitted you've got a crush on the little nerd, huh Huckleberry?" Maya teased.

"Not finally admitted, just finally decided to do something about it," Lucas countered, regretfully opening his eyes and glancing over at the clock. "Hey, have you seen him yet?"

"No, we just got here," Riley answered before she grabbed Maya and wandered off towards their lockers. Lucas checked the clock again, starting to worry, since Farkle was usually here by now. Lucas stayed waiting at Farkle's locker until the last second, sprinting to make class on time, surprised when he found Farkle already sitting at his desk. Lucas stopped and gaped at the boy, fighting his brain to find some words to say.

"Ahem," Mr. Matthews cleared his throat. Lucas quickly stepped out of the doorway, striding to his desk, all the while shooting Farkle questioning looks, none of which were even acknowledged. Mr. Matthews began class and Lucas didn't pay attention at all. He kept looking over at the boy who refused to even spare a glance in his direction. Farkle hadn't even scooted his desk over closer to his, and that extra foot of distance felt like a gulf, suddenly opening miles of space between them.

When he realized Farkle wasn't going to pay any attention to him, Lucas took to watching the clock instead, willing time to move faster. This rapid change in Farkle's demeanor was both unnerving and _so_ unlike him, and Lucas had to figure out why.

"Hey Farkle!" Lucas said as soon as the bell rang, standing up to walk with Farkle. Farkle, however, kept walking out, leaving Lucas standing at his desk, wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

Farkle had seen Lucas standing at his locker when he walked into school. He'd gotten Lucas' text, and he didn't know why, or what Lucas wanted to talk about, but Farkle wasn't interested in finding out. His only interest was in maintaining as much distance between himself and Lucas as possible. So he turned around and went the long way to Mr. Matthew's classroom, avoiding Lucas all together.

When Lucas walked into the classroom, Farkle knew that he was staring at him, but he willed himself not to look into those bright green eyes, knowing that the second he did, he would crack. He ignored the glances Lucas would throw his way every five seconds, ignored the way his heart leapt every time he did, ignored the guilt and sadness that built up in him every time he paid no mind to Lucas' concern. He busied himself with the lesson, trying to let the one thing he always counted on—learning—to provide distraction and comfort.

But then class came to an end and Farkle rose to his feet, trying to get out of the room as fast as he could, which he did, but not before he heard Lucas calling out his name.

"Hey Farkle!"

Farkle had to fight every fiber of his being and force himself not to turn around, hating the way his heart sunk lower in his chest with every step he took in the opposite direction, away from Lucas. Once Farkle knew he was out of sight, he ran to Janitor Harley's closet, the one place he knew he could hide away for the rest of the day.

* * *

Lucas didn't see Farkle anywhere the rest of the day. Lucas desperately needed to talk to Farkle, but he had to find him first. Lucas skipped his last class of the day, using the time to check nearly everywhere in the building, from the bathrooms, to empty classrooms, to every nook and cranny he knew of (save one that he had forgotten about, the one place where he would've found Farkle). At the end of the day, with still so sign of the brown-haired boy, he resignedly walked out, trying to figure out a Plan B. He came up with nothing, until he caught sight of the light blonde hair that belonged to Maya, causing a light bulb to go off in his head.

"Hey Maya, wait up!" Lucas shouted, immediately sprinting after her.

"Woah, slow down Ranger Rick!" Maya exclaimed as she turned around, just in time to avoid being run over by Lucas.

"Sorry," Lucas replied quickly, sounding only slightly out of breath. "Hey, do you know where Farkle lives?"

"Yeah. Why? I thought you were going to talk to him this morning."

"He's been avoiding me all day," Lucas explained with obvious frustration. "Will you please take me? I _have_ to talk to him."

"Okay fine, but we have to wait for Riley," Maya sighed, giving in to Lucas' pleas.

"Thanks," Lucas muttered, already turning his attention to what to do when he got there.

They walked in silence (though Lucas knew Riley and Maya were having some kind of quiet conversation) until they reached Farkle's building.

"He's in room 1123," Riley said. "Do you want us to come up with you?"

"No, I need it to be just me and him," Lucas answered.

"Okay. I hope it goes okay," Riley smiled, giving him a short embrace.

"Yeah, me too," Lucas mumbled.

"Good luck Huckleberry," Maya said as he walked inside the building.

He trudged up the stairs, walking until he reached Farkle's apartment. He took a deep breath before he started knocking, rapping his knuckles on the door rapidly. When a full minute passed with no answer, Lucas knocked again. When Farkle still didn't answer, Lucas began repeatedly punching the doorbell, determined to annoy Farkle into opening up the door. Five minutes passed. Then ten minutes. By fifteen minutes, Lucas was about to give up when the door swung open.

"What do you want?"

Lucas was taken aback by the harshness in Farkle's tone, in both the edge and the rough quality his voice possessed.

"Uh—w-why did you avoid me today?" Lucas stuttered, thrown off balance by the way Farkle greeted him.

"I wasn't avoiding you, I was just busy," Farkle argued feebly, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Why are you lying to me?" Lucas questioned, regaining his conversational bearings and taking a step forward to match Farkle's backward step.

"How would you know?"

"Because we've ate lunch together almost every day since I started going here, no matter what you've been 'busy' doing," Lucas explained, walking over and sitting down on one of the three couches in Farkle's living room. "Why are you avoiding me Farkle? Did I do something to hurt you?"

"No, I hurt myself," Farkle admitted, sitting down opposite to Lucas and watching as his eyes went comically wide.

"What do you mean? Are you okay?" Lucas inquired, worry coloring every word.

"I guess I will be eventually," Farkle replied, devoid of emotion.

"What happened?"

"I fell for someone I can't have," Farkle mumbled almost inaudibly. Anywhere else, Lucas wouldn't have heard it, but the words reverberated in the vaulted, empty space of Farkle's living room.

"Farkle—"

"No Lucas, stop!" Farkle demanded, leaping to his feet. "Please don't."

"Wh—"

"Don't try to make me feel better. You're only going to make it worse," Farkle cried, feeling tears start to trail down his cheeks.

"How can—"

"Because it was you, okay? I fell for you Lucas! I fell for your perfect freak-face and you cowboy charm and…" Farkle paused, lowering his head to examine the carpet, taking a breath to collect himself. "But you don't like me, and I was avoiding you because I needed some space to get over you. I just—you just really need to go."

"What if I don't want to go?" Lucas smirked, pacing over in front of Farkle, grasping one of Farkle's hands and softly grabbing his chin with his other hand, lifting Farkle's head so he could see into the other boy's piercing blue eyes.

"Lucas," Farkle gasped in surprise. "Lucas what are you—" he continued before his voice faltered.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Farkle nodded, not trusting his voice to respond.

"What would you say if I told you that I fell for you too?" Lucas asked quietly. "That I'm not actually someone you can't have."

"I—I'd say you were joking," Farkle whispered, his entire body trembling as Lucas leaned in closer to him.

"Well I'm not joking," Lucas muttered before softly pressing their lips together. Farkle didn't understand what was happening, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't find it within himself to care about figuring it out. He simply put his hands on Lucas' waist and pulled him in closer to his body, soaking in the feeling of kissing someone he'd been crushing on for so long. This was better than his first kiss with Riley—by a long shot. If this was what kissing was supposed to feel like, then his "kiss" with Riley wasn't really a kiss at all. Farkle whined when Lucas pulled away far too soon for his liking, the feeling of Lucas' lips still ghosting on his skin even as the other boy removed them.

"There was something I was going to ask you earlier, but couldn't because you never came to school," Lucas mumbled, leaning their foreheads together.

"Yeah?"

"Would you go on a date with me?" Lucas asked breathlessly.

Farkle replied by kissing him and then asked: "Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah," Lucas grinned.


End file.
